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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Parent of Wilson junior here. I feel kids get into good colleges despite going to Wilson not because of it. Wilson does not do anything special for these kids. [b]They only focus on kids in danger of not graduating[/b] and they are pretty ineffective at helping those kids too.[/quote]

These are the ones who benefit most from Wilson.
We were not unhappy at Wilson; however, I wish we were told that private college counseling was the most efficient way in getting ready for college. Even when the teachers said the class size had not reached its limit, the counselor would not do the switching from regular to AP. It is interesting when another parent exclaims "you talked to her alone?" 
Same goes for college counseling,  best places for SAT/ACT preparation and getting scholarships. We learned the hard way that there are a lot of "hidden rules" which no one talks about. It is not easy to know these things without having previously experienced it.[/quote]

My sense is that you're pretty much on your own at Wilson. Our oldest is now a junior and there was been no mention whatsoever about college from anybody. (And it's not because my kid is not prepared for college. He's an excellent student.) Your kid will find out about the PSATs,taken in 9th, 10th, and 11th, 1-2 days beforehand and be told to go on the Khan Academy (in one night?) to get familiar with the test. Yes, someone will no doubt think it's my fault because I have a crazy job and several kids, but we just found out by accident this week how to get on Naviance (and what Naviance is!) to find out about college visits, [b]and saw that he missed visits from colleges he would have liked to hear from.[/b] No mention yet that juniors should take SATs soon. No mention of anything. Sometimes I have the feeling that a random experienced parent plucked off the street could manage this process better than Wilson does. Is all of DCPS really like this? Are charter schools better?

We'll be able to hire someone to help. And it's possible that there's a small subset of disadvantaged but very motivated students who are getting excellent guidance through the process from the Wilson counselor, who I'm sure is underpaid and overworked, probably having two other jobs at the school in addition to college counseling. The kids who are really hurt are those whose parents aren't on top of things and those who are in the middle of the pack, not able to afford outside help and not considered at-risk by the system so not eligible for whatever small bit of attention Wilson has to give.

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Another Wilson parent with a senior here with some tips for you.

1. Don't freak out about the college visits. You have a lot of time for that piece.
2. Do make sure you get very familiar with Naviance and look at your kids stats to see where the schools he matches with. Keep in mind the test scores and grades you see in there now are from the last graduating class - not the current group of seniors.
3. Do make sure your child establishes really good relationships with his teachers this year. Two of them will be writing recommendations. The two teachers that know my kid and wrote recs were very, very supportive of my child. The recs were stellar. Also helpful if you get to know your guidance counselor.
4. Do go on College Confidential to educate yourself some about the process. 
5. Last year they did have a session for junior parents about the process, not sure when that will take place this year.
6. Yes, lots of kids get screwed by the process - not just first-gen or poor kids. This is not unique to Wilson. There are kids at Wilson and other schools that should be aiming higher, but don't for a wide variety of reasons. You will be disgusted by the process and how unfair it is.
7. Hiring an outside college counselor was the best investment we ever made. We have an acceptance in hand with a merit scholarship.
8. Don't forget to talk to other parents!

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